Young moves to second to get Brown in lineup

By Chris Iseman and Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- In an effort to get Andrew Brown into the lineup against D-backs left-hander Patrick Corbin, Mets manager Terry Collins decided to move Eric Young to second base for Tuesday night's game against Arizona.

"We looked up his defensive statistics, and actually, he's played second base much better than he plays the outfield," Collins said. "I thought we'd give it a shot tonight and see what we got."

Brown, who had the game-winning, two-run single in the Mets' 5-4 13-inning win over Arizona on Monday, batted sixth and played left field, where Young had been mostly playing while with the Mets.

Young has played second base 50 times in his Major League career. He's done it twice this season, once with Colorado and he also played there for 1 2/3 innings in the Mets' 5-4 loss to the White Sox on June 25.

Young, whom the Mets acquired in a trade with the Rockies on June 18, has given the club a spark at the top of the lineup. In 12 games with the Mets, he's hitting .327 with eight RBIs and five doubles.

Collins said he wanted to keep center fielder Juan Lagares in the lineup because of his strong defense, and right fielder Marlon Byrd is providing too much offense in the cleanup spot to take him out at this point.

The best place to get Brown in the lineup while keeping the rest of the lineup intact, Collins said, was to move Young to second. It also gives regular second baseman Daniel Murphy a rest.

"We've got five righties coming up we know of, six of the next seven," Collins said. "There's nothing wrong with getting Dan a day off."

Ike improving, but callup not in the cards

NEW YORK -- Ike Davis is showing improvement playing for Triple-A Las Vegas, but Mets manager Terry Collins said he still isn't sure when Davis will be recalled.

Davis, who's hitting .269 with five home runs and 10 RBIs since being sent down on June 9, has made some changes to his stance that's led to greater success at the plate.

"He's still got a little movement in his hands, but it's certainly not as drastic as it was. He's more upright," Collins said. "They said he's driving the ball the other way more than he was when he got there."

But Davis is still having some struggles. The 26-year-old went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts on Monday night.

The Mets have gotten plenty of production from first baseman Josh Satin, who has a seven-game hitting streak entering Tuesday's game against Arizona. Since being called up to the Mets on June 11, Satin is hitting .395 with a .511 on-base percentage.

While the Mets are going to be facing mostly right-handers over the next week or so, the left-handed hitting Davis' future remains uncertain for now.

"He's made big progress, and I certainly don't know if he's going to get called up or not," Collins said. "We've certainly got some things we need to address in the next couple days."

Mets' latest moves don't include Marcum

NEW YORK -- An afternoon that began with concern over Shaun Marcum's health ended with a transaction of relatively little consequence. Needing extra pitching, the Mets on Tuesday purchased the contract of right-hander Gonzalez Germen from Triple-A Las Vegas, optioning infielder Zach Lutz to the Minors.

The Mets waited until an hour before game time Tuesday to make the move as they awaited test results on Marcum, who gestured to his neck during Monday's game against the D-backs. Marcum began this season on the disabled list with right biceps tendinitis, which stemmed from a nerve issue that affected his neck in Spring Training.

Asked about the testing after Tuesday's game, Marcum swore under his breath, insisted that "I'm fine," and said he will make his next start "as far as I know."

"That's for me and the club, so I'm not going to talk about it," Marcum said of the testing he underwent. "I don't know why you guys [the media] need to know everything."

When asked directly about his neck on Monday night, Marcum also said that he was "fine" and did "not have any concern."

The Mets apparently agreed, keeping Marcum in the rotation and instead optioning Lutz to Las Vegas. With David Wright entrenched at third base and Josh Satin playing extremely well at first, Lutz had received only four at-bats since joining the Mets early last week.

For the immediate future, the Mets will proceed with an extra arm in their bullpen. Germen, who was called up for the first time in his career, posted a 5.70 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 10 walks in 42 2/3 innings at Las Vegas. He did not appear in Tuesday's game.

LaTroy passes Cy Young for appearances

NEW YORK -- LaTroy Hawkins has built a long career, pitching for 10 different teams in 19 seasons. More important, though, he's managed to stay durable and consistent through the years.

When he came into the eighth inning of Tuesday's 9-1 win against Arizona, Hawkins made his 907th career appearance to pass Cy Young for 22nd all-time. Hawkins, who made his Major League debut with the Twins in 1995, has thrown 1,339 innings in his career.

"It's pretty cool to have your name on that list. It shows longevity. It says a lot of managers have had a lot of faith in me to put me in that many games," Hawkins said. "I've been able to be somewhat consistent over the years. It's pretty cool."

Hawkins, 40, has pitched in 36 games this season and lowered his ERA to 3.06 with a scoreless eighth inning. He's given manager Terry Collins a dependable option out of the bullpen, providing the Mets with a veteran presence.

Next on the list for Hawkins is Eddie Guardado, who made 908 career appearances. Hawkins said the milestone is something he takes pride in.

Worth noting

• Minor Leaguer Matt den Dekker was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday after 14 games with Class A St Lucie. He went 0-for-5 for the 51s in his first game with the team on Monday. den Dekker is recovering from a broken right wrist, which he suffered on March 24.

Chris Iseman is an associate reporter for MLB.com, and Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.